Bumrush the Charts: Indy Music Looking for Respect

So today is Bumrush the Charts day, a grassroots efforts that's using social media, including Digg, YouTube, blogs and podcasts to try to get podsafe music in the iTunes top 100.

It's interesting, in light of the meltdown of traditional CD sales, that supporters of indie music are trying to push sales of the music they treasure. I understand the idea, that by pushing this music, they feel that it will send a message to the RIAA that suing folks won't get them to buy, that the music industry needs to promote a broader group of music.

But at the same time, it makes me think whether it will matter what music you put in the top iTunes 100. Sales don't seem to matter, because people are copying each others CDs and letting each other copy their hard drives. If the future of music is bands supporting themselves through touring and other kinds money making efforts, then wouldn't going to shows be a better way to point to the future?

11:37 AM

TrackBack URL for this entry:

http://blogs.businessweek.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Bumrush the Charts: Indy Music Looking for Respect:

Several friends in the social media-sphere were rabid supporters of Bum Rush the Charts last Thursday, March 22, and I joined in.

In short, BRTC was an effort to show that people could join together in a grass roots fashion to push an independent music... [Read More]

Tracked on March 27, 2007 10:46 PM

no.

Posted by: Todd Wachtel at March 22, 2007 03:58 PM

Ms. Green,

The tactics are not mutually exclusive. While the future is certainly in the band's ability to promote and merchandise themselves, these efforts will lead to their music being "rated" by the Billboards & Itunes of tomorrow. Accordingly the Bumrush tactics serve to support the efforts of cutting edge bands (as seen at the Redgorilla Festival and South by Southwest) to self promote their own merchandise and music.